DESCRIPTION: (provided by the applicant): Malaria control strategies based on genetic manipulation of vectors will require extensive knowledge of vector population genetics. What will be the most suitable time, location and type of mosquito? Critical information includes: population size, patterns of gene flow, the breeding structure of populations and the effects of natural selection on individual gene loci. The overall goal of the proposed research is to provide such a background. We propose to address these questions by: (1) Characterizing the (spatial changes) in genetic structure of populations of Anopheles garnbiae throughout continental Africa by determining the distribution of chromosomal and molecular polymorphisms. Representative locations will be studied in three countries: Mali in West Africa, Kenya in East Africa, and Cameroon in Central Africa. The genetic markers we will use include chromosome arrangements, micro-satellite DNA loci, and mitochondrial DNA loci. (2) Characterizing temporal changes in population genetic structure and gene flow in selected areas, by sampling focal locations several times per year over two years to assess population size and genetic characteristics, and by performing Mark-Release-Recapture experiments there. This will provide information on the stability of populations and if or how populations respond to seasonal environmental changes. (3) Identifying physical/ecological features important for their biology and relate these to spatial and temporal changes in population genetic structure, patterns of gene flow, and as selective forces on individual loci. Migration rates among sites will be established by measuring their genetic similarity, and then inferring how much gene flow is required to maintain such a similarity. Based on this information we will employ a GIS-based procedure termed "Wombling," which will identify areas with high and low levels of gene flow. These will then be correlated with ecological features determined on the ground and from remote imaging. In this manner ecological features associated with high and low population densities, and also with high and low levels of gene flow can thus be identified. Such information should be helpful to vector control efforts that require an understanding of dispersal and gene flow, including genetic control and insecticide resistance management. The effects of natural selection on individual loci and segregating sites within loci will be studies by taking a population genomics approach. This approach provides the means to study the behavior of individual functional genes in nature, bridging the gap between population genetics and molecular biology.